Glazes and Using Glazes PT1...

[Gally]

Thought i'd do a little write up on one of my favourite detailing steps.

Glazing: PT1

In the/My perfect detail these are the usual steps after wheels and washing:

Tar remover
Iron Remover
Clay
Polish
Cleanse
Glaze
LSP (Wax-Sealant-Nano Sealnt etc)

In most cases this is a kind of once - twice a year at most detail, the rest of the time the paitnwork should be kept on toop of and with the right protection you should have to worry to much, even with the likes of tar, contaminents etc it shouldn't stick to the car like it would an unprotected one.

Take this detail as a good example... http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?577020-Mini-Detail!-FRP-Celeste-Dettaglio-content***

Read the thread and look at the pictures in depth if you can. Especially the last paragraph.

Glazes come into play even more so from an amateur/enthusiast, we don't have 3 days to correct a car with 8 different polishes and 8 different pads. In most cases including my own 1 day, probably 8-10 hours is what I would get to do my own car or any other one wanting a heavy detail. I'm sure Russ will sympathise with me. He is "Mr Enhancement", starting off on his drive way with a few hours to turn around a poorly car into a nearly new one again. No mean feat.

Glazes are full of fillers, in most cases made up of kaolin clay, this clay in most cases helps fill swirls and marks which suck the light off the car and make it appear lifeless. In some cases glazes on the right pad can actually remove very light swirling.

A lovely picture courtesy of Dave KF on DW and a comment...

The sharp edges of the deep mark catch the light and it is reflected back in an intense ray allowing you to clearly see the scratch in the finish. When the edge has been rounded off, there is no intense reflection of the light. It is instead spread over a wider area and it doesn’t appear as easily to the eye that there is a deep scratch there.

This process is not fully removing the marks in the paintwork. Instead it is making them harder to see by essentially softening the edges, which acts to scatter the light rather than reflect it. This in turn makes it harder for the eye to see the marks. They are not fully hidden, but they appear a lot less severe.

(Bare in mind this was for polishing but the light comments remains the same)

Here are some pictures of what a glaze can do, please bear in mind this was on a finishing pad no polishes of any kind were used...

You can clearly see the filling ability of the glaze, in this case it was Chemical guys EZ creme glaze. A very good glaze I ight add but we'll get to that. As you can imagine after the rest of the car was done, most of the lighter swirls marks were filled and the paint is clearly more glossy and wet if you will.

The above pictures and the thread above were a test of products, i'm lucky that my car has been around 95% corrected with a lot of wet sanding done, what people sometimes forget when looking at DW and all these detailing threads is there is only so much polishing you can do (ClioToby take note! ) and cleacoat you can remove.

In the ideal world, polishing the car once and then using the correct washing methods etc you should have to correct your car every year. I've seen an old daily driver after 2 years have less swirls on it than my car has. All because the wash and dry technique was spot on.

Sadly in the case above the car after it's MOT made it's way into the hands of said garage's valeter, the message was sadly not past on not to clean the car.
At this stage I could have polished the car and got it back to a decent level of pure correction but I was already planning on giving the car a full detail before CSS, using common sense, I didn't want to be polishing the car twice in such a short space of time hence the glazing.

So to summarise this part: Glazing can be used as a safe substitute to polishing for a temporary fix. After Glazing a nice wax or sealant can seal those fillers in for longer and after they are "washed away" you can re-apply in no time at all.

This so called "cheating" should never be frowned upon, It's a great tool/product and one more people should be made aware of. It's not all always about polishing.

 

[Gally]

Glazes and Using Glazes PT2...

Glazing: PT2

Just a few bits to talk about after covering the previous area. The products themselves, different types of glaze/cleanser and also glazing over good paintwork.

First up glazing over decent paintwork...

A lot of pro detailers don't feel the need to glaze over corrected paintwork, that's not a bad thing. They need to worry about durability and pleasing customers and that's important in business of course. A lot of detailers will simply polish, IPA and then finish the car off with a good LSP.

As an enthisiast I just love trying different things and trying to get the best out my paintowork, if the durability isn't great and the LSP hasn't bonded very well it's only me that would be affected and it can be sorted, it's also part of the experience and gives good knowledge of products and compatibility.

I personally feels it adds that little percentage extra to the paintwork, enough for me to take the chance with compatibility issues.

Products: First up my current favourite and by far the best glaze i've used...

Prima Amigo:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/prima-amigo-polymer-glaze/prod_696.html

This to me is the best allround Glaze. One of it's best points is it can be used in conjunction with sealants, something that a lot of oily glazes have issues with. Of course waxes go over most glazes, oily or acrylic based.
It's believed the polymers in Amigo help with the bonding to the paint and any subsequent layers, more glaze, sealant or wax.
The fillers are heavy but solid and i've yet to have any issues with bonding or washing out quickly. I've seen 6 months with it under Zaino Z2.

It's party piece imo and what really sets it apart from any glazes, polishes or cleansers is how slick it leaves the paint. Seriously i've never felt my paint like it was after using Amigo. 2 people there that day, including Callum00000001 o) who is on here seen it and it's the slickest finish i've seen on any car surafce. I've used a lot of glazes and cleansers and i've yet to wipe an MF over the paint and feel it so slick.

So that's my recommendation for any paint type or colour .

Next up a few other choices.

Poorboys Blackhole:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/poorboys-black-hole/prod_494.html

Been around for years now and is actually pretty much the first glaze I knew of that was pumped full of lovely fillers. Fantastic glaze, mostly acrylic so bonding shouldn't have any issues and gives results like this...

Next up a product that was used in my own test above, no need to post more pictures.
Chemical Guys: EZ Creme Glaze with Acrylic shine II:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/chemical-guys-ez-glaze-with-acrylic-shine-ii/prod_145.html

Again like Amigo it has very good bonding properties and probably the only 2 glazes that I would use a sealant over. Fillers work very well as you can see in the images of the FRP above and it's so easy to work with. A great price and a great product.


Next up the lines that are blurred between cleanser and glazes. Some glazes contain light cleaners but cleanser, chemically strip dirt from the paint, much more than a standalone glaze will.

A couple of fantastic cleanser fillers:
R222's Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/pre-wax-cleaners/r222-paintwork-cleanser/prod_638.html

Aimed at cleansing paint especially on light colours, silvers look sparkling after using this. One of my favourite cleansers and again packed full of fillers. Polished Bliss lowdown:

It is universally accepted that to maximise the effectiveness of an automotive wax coating, you must properly prepare the painted surfaces to be treated first. Over time, it is not unusual for automotive paint finishes to become slightly rough to the touch. Such roughness is caused by the gradual build up of surface contaminants that are too firmly bonded to be removed by normal washing alone.

You can easily check for the presence of such contaminants by washing and rinsing your car thoroughly and then running your fingertips over the wet panels. Can you feel rough spots or a gritty texture? If so, then you need to clean your paint before waxing using R222 Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser.

You'll be amazed at how quickly this product removes bonded surface contaminants and restores a perfectly smooth, high gloss finish ready for a concours winning wax application.

Last in the cleanser line is one from one of my favourite brands, Blackfire. I think they make some superb products with over indulging the detailing world with poor products just to fill gaps.

Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish.
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/blackfire-gloss-enhancing-polish-cat9.html

Again a cleanser for paint. Almost like a milky polish so to speak. Very filler heavy, some pictures in the above thread on the FRP. I think it creates a brilliant base for futher layers. It really does like R222 blur the line, you could in essence cleanse and glaze in one go. All up to the user.

PolishedBliss blurb:

Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish is without any doubt one of the best pre-wax cleaners on the market today, and is, in our opinion, very closely tied for the top spot with Raceglaze Signature Series Pre-Wax Cleaner. We use Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish on a regular basis in our studio during one day protection details, in order to mask fine paint defects and massively enhance gloss ahead of applying sealant or wax protection.

Customers bringing their cars into us for this service frequently ask us how we make their paint look so fantastic without resorting to any kind of corrective polishing; now you know the answer! In short, Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish is an excellent product that effortlessly transforms the look of paint in no time at all, which makes it ideal for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Not a cheap purchase but very very good and with the Blackfire system can look simply immense on Dark Blues, Blacks, Reds.

So that's me waffled for about long enough. There are many a products i've missed but I can't mention everything i've used.

The likes of AF Rejuvenate i'll cover in my cleanser thread maybe tomorrow, same goes for Lime Prime and a few other cleansers out there. I'll go into depth about pure cleansers, gloss enhancing cleansers, abrasive cleansers and of course filler cleansers.

Thanks for reading guys, most of it is actually a lot of pants and probably repeated myself more than once but it's one of those steps that not a lot of people actually utilise or know much about.

Happy Detailing!

 

[Chris_786]

Great write up Gally, really shows off what you can acheive without 'correction'.

 

[Gally]

Great write up Gally, really shows off what you can acheive without 'correction'.

Thanks mate, something I knocked up. I'd like to do it properly but I get bored usually.

 

[Adam.P]

Great right up mate.

Would you suggest sealing as well as a wax, or just one of them?

 

[Yellow Dave]

:star:

 

[Eddie.]

Thankyou so much for this! I have been researching glazes a lot recently as I've heard a lot about them, this is pretty much everything I need to know all in one thread! Awesome!

 

[James28]

Great write up , cheers

 

[Gally]

Even if just one person gains some knowledge i'll be happy mate.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Not the best written guide ever!

 

[Jay.S]

Nice write up will be using some of that knowledge soon.

Oh BF GEP is brilliant

 

[Gally]

Nice write up will be using some of that knowledge soon.

Oh BF GEP is brilliant

I was thinking of you mate when I was looking for GEP.

My cleanser guide will hopefully be better.

 

[Yellow Dave]

using them by machine, is it a similar technique to using a cleanser?

 

[James28]

I have a feeling my delve into the machine polisher world as of the other thread, is going to become an expensive hobby!

 

[Gally]

using them by machine, is it a similar technique to using a cleanser?

Sort of. Any rotary with a soft start/low rpm start will be perfect. The EP is th better rotary for this because it shares a lot of cues with the DA. DA is usually best for glazing by machine but I personally prefer rotary. By hand is also easy but i'm not a fan really of glazing by hand.

Cleansers i'd usually use by hand as they can dry out.

I have a feeling my delve into the machine polisher world as of the other thread, is going to become an expensive hobby!

An understatement!

 

[JD]

Wadaloadatosh.

 

[JD]

Great write up floppy haired one.

 

[Gally]

Flol!

I just want to be you!

 

[Jon.G]

What are your opinions of using glazes via a DA?

 

[Gally]

In a general sense that's the correct and the original way to put a glaze on via machine.

Low speeds and work the fillers and product into the paint.

You're not working a polish or a wax. It's doesn't have to cure/set etc just machine on and wipe off.

 

[lewisredfern001]

great write, ive just got my collection down to the whole AF range, am doing some comparisons with tripple and rejevenate myself 2mro so am interested in your write up

 

[Jon.G]

In a general sense that's the correct and the original way to put a glaze on via machine.

Low speeds and work the fillers and product into the paint.

You're not working a polish or a wax. It's doesn't have to cure/set etc just machine on and wipe off.

Thought so. Cheers!

 

[Yellow Dave]

great write, ive just got my collection down to the whole AF range, am doing some comparisons with tripple and rejevenate myself 2mro so am interested in your write up

I've been please with the majority of the AF range. gloss and finale are the only ones that haven't stood clear above the market, although finale is still good.

rejuvenate and tripple are quite different both by hand and machine. both offer filling and minor correction but at different ends of the scale.

 

[Gally]

great write, ive just got my collection down to the whole AF range, am doing some comparisons with tripple and rejevenate myself 2mro so am interested in your write up

Great range and 2 great products. I'm a massive fan of AF and rejuvenate

 

[Kane.]

Great write up, definitely learnt a few things there.

 

[Gally]

Cheers mate. I'll speak to Luke see if it's worth stickying.

 

[aucky]

After seeing those pics I reckon I could acheive the results I want on most of the car (spring/summer) simply by using a glaze.

 

[7MAT]

Just to add that Britemax Black Max was the original polymer-based ultra fine polishing glaze first introduced in 2004. Prime Amiga is basically a more expensive copy.

Check out this independant review;
http://carproductstested.com/exterior-product-reviews/britemax-black-max-review/

 

[Gally]

Thanks for that Matt, like I said i'll update this thread with Blackmax and the other Glaze I tried recently (Not imprressive though).

 

[Owen]

Kev, could I use PB blackhole under Jetseal? Just seen I have a new bottle of BH waiting in the shed. Alternatively, the Jetseal is running out so would take recommendations on another sealant to try. Ta.

 

[Silent_Scone]

great write up

 

[Gally]

Kev, could I use PB blackhole under Jetseal? Just seen I have a new bottle of BH waiting in the shed. Alternatively, the Jetseal is running out so would take recommendations on another sealant to try. Ta.

It would be fine mate, most glazes work fine under general sealants/waxes.

Have you looked at the werkstat acrylic jett? The only sealant I used from a bottle type is Zaino Z2, then Z6/Z8 system. Looks fantastic.

You have an RB Owen? Do you wax at all?

 

[Owen]

Yes mate I do.

Yes, have DJ Blue Velvet, which I used to use, but at the mo I quite like the cold look of the Jetseal, so haven't waxed on top.

 

[Gally]

Crack the BH out. Preferably via machine on a finishing pad then Jetseal if you're happy for now.

I think you'd be super impressed with Werkstat Jett if you like the Jetseal. 3 layers on the Paint in less than an hour. Win win.

 

[Owen]

Have been meaning to try the werkstat system since it came out, although I noticed you don't rate glos iirc? In which case should I just get the Jett on it's own do you think.

Also, acrylic or carnauba?

 

[aucky]

On flat RB it has to be Carnauba for looks. It looks incredible on the Trophy.

If it is to be used as a sealant in the traditional sense I'm sure the acrylic will be recomended.

 

[Owen]

Ta dude. Saw it mentioned that acrylic had a better durability (was either JD or Gally from memory) which tbh would suit me better, even if it meant a slight compromise on looks.

 

[Gally]

Indeed. The looks will be minimal. The carnauba will obviously look at tad wetter in the summer but after layers of acrylic you'll never tell the difference.

Vics Red wax is worth a look for summer. £20 for small pot that will last for ages just for that extra wet look over a glaze on solid colours. 3 layers of vics imo looks simple immense for that price of wax.

 

[Owen]

And forego the sealant in-between glaze and wax?

 

[Gally]

Yeah, I do one or 'tother mate.

 

[riz]

If i am polishing with menz and menz final finish, do i need to use a glaze aswell?